In Reverse
by Dreaming-Of-A-Nightmare
Summary: Dave Karofsky and Kurt Hummel, and yet... opposite. Dave is the Out fashionista, and Kurt is the closeted footballer. Kurt is also Dave's bully, and it's all so backwards in this AU, but that's what makes it fun. 30 drabbles. Older-teen content ahead!
1. Part 1: 01: Aggressor

**A/N: As I'm sure many of you pirates have seen, there is fanart (and a fanfic or two, I'm sure) out there by people like **_michelangelo12_** and **_pixolith _**that features** **scenario-swapped/personality-swapped Dave and Kurt, in which Kurt is a closeted jock-bully and Dave is an openly gay fashionista. And, well, this just amuses me so incredibly much that I decided to write a small collection of drabbles based off of this adorable switcharoo.**

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><p><strong><em>Part 1.<em>**

_01. Aggressor._

The first time it happens, Dave Karofsky almost can't believe it's happening. He knows this kid; he's been in Dave's grade since Dave can remember, and the guy has always been small and pale and has always had a higher-pitched voice, but he's also always been in soccer and karate and throughout high school, football (namely kicker, probably because of those karate lessons), so he's tough for his size.

So what really surprises Dave is not this smaller guy having the capability to ram him into the lockers, but rather, what surprises him is why Kurt Hummel took so long to pick on him; Dave is the openly gay student, has been since freshman year, and yet it's junior year now, and all Dave can wonder is why Kurt is even bothering.

Still, Kurt is an aggressor; he father doesn't approve, Dave is sure of that much. Burt Hummel is a lot like his own father, Paul: generous-hearted, understanding, compassionate, but firm and protective.

And, unfortunately, that leads the four of them to a meeting in the principal's office one afternoon, all because Dave accidentally let it slip at dinner the night before that he had been bullied lately, but nothing too major, just a few shoulder checks into lockers and one or two remarks including a homophobic slur or two.

He isn't mad, though. So as he sits in the office, Dave sinks a little further down into his chair, because he feels like this is being blown out of proportion.

"I didn't mean any major offense, okay? I'll stop if that's what you want me to do," Kurt huffs, barely fazed. He leans back in his chair, legs spread while Dave's are crossed at the knee, Dave's hands folded gently in his lap whereas Kurt's are folded tightly over his chest, his letterman jacket hanging over the arm of his end of the couch. The pattern on his Led Zeppelin t-shirt is distracting, and Dave keeps glancing away. Kurt hasn't met his eyes yet, either, however.

"Yes, please. That would be precisely what we want," Paul says calmly, and beside Kurt, Burt looks highly disapproving.

"How did this start, anyway? What made you want to start picking on David, Kurt?" Burt asks, his tone hard-edged and prying, trying to get to the bottom of this. "It's not because he's gay is it? Haven't I raised you better?"

Dave idly runs a hand through his gelled hair and watches as Kurt shows the first sign of discomfort, adjusting his seating, dropping his folded arms, and glancing away, his messy bangs falling over his forehead as he turns his head. "N-not that. Look, can we be done here? I'll leave him alone, I swear. Please, just don't kick me off the team or something."

"We won't, but one more offense and you will find yourself suspended for at least a week," Figgins relays sternly. He nods once to each of the fathers, and then they are dismissed. Having consumed their entire lunch period, Dave and Kurt walk awkwardly down the hallways avoiding their parents' glances as they both head off to their next class, which happens to be the same study hall.

Alone, Dave murmurs, "You know, I don't blame you in the slightest; it's easy to pick on someone like me when I'm Out and in Glee Club. But did you have to lie about it? You could have just said that you did it because it was easy."

"It's not like that, okay? Can you just shut up about it, Fancy? I don't need you breathing down my neck about this after you ratted me out."

Dave nods and adjusts the strap on his messenger bag while Kurt replaces his letterman jacket on his shoulders. "Unintentionally, I assure you. Why are you so defensive, Hummel? Why can't you take this like a man? Clearly, you lucked out today, getting away with aggression without consequence beyond a warning. So what does it even matter?"

"Look, you just… don't understand. And I can't expect you to. So get off my back and don't bother talking to be in class, all right?"

And Kurt speeds up his pace, ducking into the crowd as the bell rings and students file out of their classrooms to head to their next class. Dave is left cocking his head, wondering what mysteries lurk inside the scrawny jock's mind.


	2. 02: Lips

_02. Lips._

"What is your problem, Hummel?" Dave bellows as he chases Kurt into the locker room and places his hands defiantly on his hips. "Why can't you just leave me alone? You said you were going to in that meeting, but it sure hasn't been that way as of late! What's your issue with me?"

Kurt stiffens and turns away from his gym locker. He flushes pink as Dave steps into his personal space. "How can I leave you alone when you keep insisting on dressing all freaky and being in my face every day? It really pisses me off!"

Dave glares down the few inches between them in height (greater than it might be due to Dave's shoe choice, a nice pair of combat boots). He gathers himself up, stomach clenching in his lower abdomen as he tries to think quickly. He hates that this dumb jock is attractive in the boyish way he is, because it only complicates things for Dave; he has mixed feelings about Kurt, because Kurt is his bully, but Kurt is also the only other guy to ever really pay attention to him.

Inhaling, Dave says back rather loudly, "Look, you can't change who I am or what I do; if I want to wear these clothes – which are highly fashionable, by the way – and style my hair different every day or do something like pierce my ear one day, you don't get a say in it! I think your real problem with me, Hummel, is that I'm gay and I disgust you. Well you know what? That doesn't even matter, because you aren't even my type! So you don't have to worry your homophobic little head about me ever doing something to you!"

Kurt's face looks stony, almost hurt. "That right? I'm not your type?"

Dave has to lie this time, because actually, he's seen plenty of guys on the Internet who look just like Kurt – pale, slight, toned, and the perfect example of a "twink" – and he really likes them. They're his favorites. He loves how they are smaller than himself, and how creamy-skinned they are, and how soft they look. So, to lie, Dave uses all of those things against Kurt.

"Yeah; I don't dig on skinny boys who look like they could be broken in half with two fingers and are going to have beer bellies by the time they're forty!"

Kurt grits his teeth, raising his fist. "You're just asking for me to go all karate on your ass, Karofsky! Push me one more time, and I swear I'll –"

"You're gonna hit me? Fine, go ahead, do it! See if I care, since I clearly outweigh you. You'll just bounce right off, karate or not," Dave quips tensely.

"Then just get out of my face!" Kurt hollers, at his breaking point.

"No! Someone needs to stand up to you, because you're just an insecure little bully who can't handle how extraordinarily ordinary you are!" Dave counters, but he can hardly finish his sentence before Kurt grabs both sides of his face, lifts himself up on the balls of his feet, and smashes his and Dave's lips together.

Dave blinks, eyes open wide in shock, as Kurt's lips move over his stunned ones, molding and feeling far too warm. Kurt releases a soft little sigh, almost akin to a moan, as he pulls back, and Dave automatically brings up a hand to cover his hand, not entirely sure what had just happened.

Kurt's expression is uncharacteristically soft as he leans in, about to kiss Dave again.

Dave goes white, his features blank, and he can't move. Kurt's tongue licks Dave's already parted lips, and he breathes out through his nose, sighing again. Dave's eyes close, and his lips twitch, about to kiss back. But before he can dare, Kurt returns to himself, shoving Dave away.

"Dammit! Shit, shit, shit!" Kurt curses sharply, turning on his heel and storming out of the locker room, kicking a locker or two violently before shoving open the swinging doors. And then he's gone, and Dave slowly opens his eyes, confusion being his only emotion.


	3. 03: Exposed

_03. Exposed._

"Hummel…?" Dave ventures unsurely when he next sees the other boy. "Do you, uh, want to walk about what… what happened?"

"Nothing happened," Kurt snaps, nervously glancing around. He shoves Dave a little and attempts to walk past. "So shut up about it."

Dave catches Kurt by the wrist and yanks him into the boys' bathroom nearby. Kurt complains, shouting how Dave should let him go and that he's a big brute, but Dave simply rolls his eyes and he guards the bathroom door and pits his hands on his hips.

"Enough is enough, Hummel! You've been avoiding me for nearly a week now, and how you managed to do it so well when we share a few classes is beyond me. Anyhow, we need to talk and you know it. I'm not _scared _of you. And it was your own uncertainty that made you leave after you kissed me. So tell me, what's going on in your head? Have you been picking on me this whole time because you like me but don't want to be gay?"

"How can you put it so… so _bluntly _like that? Th-that's not – I mean, you don't know what you're talking about!" Kurt huffs, clearly flustered. His face is tinting pink again.

"Kurt," Dave says, trying to go with a softer approach as he takes a small step forward and reaches out to touch the other boy's shoulder. Kurt flinches as if he had been burned. "It's okay to tell me. I haven't told anyone what you did, and you're not exposed right now. We're alone in a bathroom, and it's safe to talk to me here. So tell me: why did you kiss me?"

"'S not because I _like _you," Kurt says, but his voice wavers and it sounds like a monumental lie. "It's just… I can't be like you, you know? I'm in football, the team's best kicker in years. And… and my dad and I are really close, we do all sorts of guy-stuff together, like work on cars and go fishing and hunting and watch sports on TV. So how can I be gay? How, when I'm not like you at all?"

Dave nods slowly, understandingly. "Being gay isn't a perfect stereotype, Kurt. Everyone is different, and everyone has preferences and opinions on things, and that goes for sexuality, too. So you can be the most manly-man out there and still gay. It can happen. It's not wrong or unusual, it's just part of who you are."

"I… I don't know," Kurt mumbles, glancing down and bringing a hand to his mouth to chew on the cuticles. He glances up at Dave, his mostly-blue, color-changing eyes tinting teal. "How did _you_ know that you were…?"

Dave chuckles. "I knew when I likes playing with dolls with my female cousins instead of baseball with my male cousins, and when, in middle school, I started changing for P.E. in the lockers rooms and found that I liked how boys looked better than how girls looked." He shrugs. "It's no big deal for me, because my dad always seemed to know, and he still loves me. And I think your dad would be the same, Kurt. I think – maybe because of your voice, but that isn't always an indicator – he might suspect, and he might be disappointed in you for going after me because of that."

"That sounds about right," the jock sighs and leans against a stall's side as he ruffles his own hair. Looking back up, there's a tiny bit of relief of his face. "Thanks, Kar- Dave. I've been a real dick to you, but you still want to help me. You… You're a good person."

"I try," Dave grins, and then studies Kurt's face. "Are you going to be okay?"

Kurt sniffs as if he had been crying, even though he hadn't. "I think so. But you do know that even if I came Out to my dad or some shit like that, I couldn't do it in front of the school, right? I just… I can't lose my friends like that. And I can't… I don't know, I just _can't _let it happen, not like this, not in high school."

"I understand that," Dave nods. He offers a hand to yank Kurt off of the wall and get him back to his feet. Kurt takes it, an odd expression on his face as his smaller hand is engulfed by Dave's. "So until you make up your mind, your secret is safe with me. But no more bullying me, all right? I think there's only so much abuse my amazing clothes can take."

Kurt laughs, partly out of nerves, but entirely genuine. "Yeah, okay. I promise, for real this time. I won't hurt you again."

"Good," Dave agrees with a smile.


	4. 04: Girly

**A/N: Wow, I feel like a moron. I somehow confused **_michelangelo12_** with **_zebeck_**. WTF! They aren't even- GAH. I just fail when I try to do things late at night, guys. Anyway, **_michelangelo12_**'s art helps inspire these drabbles, and this drabble in particular was based off of this fanart in particular (remove spaces): michelangelo12. deviantart. com/art/and-another-one-203482397**

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><p><em>04. Girly<em>

Dave is the one who insists that the pair of them start hanging out. It begins in study hall, then lunch, and then evolves to the exchanging of phone numbers for texting purposes.

"It'll be good for you," Dave pushes gently, usually earning no response from Kurt; the boy is too stubborn for his own good. But Dave smiles and keeps going, "You need someone like me to help you through this. You can lean on me, metaphorically-speaking."

And Kurt usually huffs and scoffs, and defensively crosses his arms over his chest; or he breaks eye contact and shrugs off any physical contact as well, a flustered or frustrated blush on his face. Dave is always so amused, too, smirking at every reaction, because Kurt's temperamental, trying-to-retain-his-manly-dignity-and-jock-status and simultaneous straight-acting-even-while-befriending-the-school's-main-gay-kid is oddly adorable. Dave has a feeling that if he were in the same position, things would be a lot different between them, and they would probably not get along as easily as they do.

Well… they get along… somewhat easily, anyway. They have a pattern. And it goes something like this:

Dave will approach Kurt with some of his "advice" or "help," such as just the other day, when Dave said, "Kurt, I see that your skin is quite affected by the sun from so much football practice; I recommend this moisturizer, it'll help!"

To which Kurt replied in the tone he usually does, "Back off, Fancy! No way is that _girly_ shit touching me! I don't want to smell nice like fucking flowers or whatever like you do!"

"You think I smell nice?" Dave will return with a smile, and the process of Kurt getting huffy and defensive repeats.


	5. 05: Relax

_05. Relax_

"You need to relax more," David says with a lengthy sigh as he elegantly seats himself on Kurt's couch and crosses his legs. Kurt sits on a beanbag chair on the floor just below, his legs in a pretzel shape. He grumbles something about being plenty related, but Dave shakes his head. "No, you're not. You're always on your guard, even at times like this when you're in your own home. Why do you do that?"

"Dunno," Kurt says vaguely. He rolls his shoulders and leans back against the arm of the couch. "Guess I just don't know how to be myself anymore. Too many lies go into making everyone think you're normal, you know?"

"Stop using that word. 'Normal' doesn't exist, Kurt, and you know it. You aren't 'abnormal' just because you like boys; and don't even begin to argue with me, because I know that's what you were insinuating." Dave leans forward and peers down at Kurt, who refuses often to meet his gaze. "And those lies don't apply around me because I _know, _remember? So stop it and just be yourself."

"I can't," Kurt murmurs, his voice soft. He peers upward at Dave's face and there's a different expression there than Kurt's standard, and it takes Dave aback for a moment. Kurt goes on, "I'm afraid."

"Of what? I might be a little intimidating at times, and you might be pretty much the opposite of intimidating, but that doesn't mean you have anything to be afraid of," David replies carefully, adjusting his position to keep at Kurt better.

Kurt leans back in his beanbag chair and brings his knees up to his chest. He sighs, looking down, and then returns his gaze to Dave's to say, "I'm afraid because I think that if I let my guard down around you when we're hanging out, then it will leak into the hours at school we have together, and then people might figure me out. 'Cause…" And Kurt glances away, because he can't say it, especially not to Dave's face, and especially not now.

He can't tell Dave that he can't relax around the taller, more flamboyant boy because the whole reason why he started questioning the sexual orientation he was raised to believe he had was _because _of Dave. Because Dave Karofsky exists and dresses and acts and looks and behaves the way he does, Kurt started to wonder if he was gay, because everything he saw of Dave he liked. And he liked those things far more than what could be considered platonic and heterosexual.

So how can he say anything when Dave is the same person he wants to bear his heart to? It's just… too tense and painful to allow any relaxation.

And Dave nods at Kurt's silence, understanding, and leans away. And they go back to surfing On Demand for a free movie to watch.


	6. 06: Touch

_06. Touch_

Like that life-jarring first kiss, Kurt is the first person to try and reinstate contact, even though he was also the one to keep shrugging off Dave's own attempts.

It's small, but it begins as a skim of his hand along Dave's forearm when they walk together sometimes, and then escalates to – only when they are alone, of course – full-on cuddling. And it's all began one Saturday afternoon when Kurt's muscles were sore from a particularly rough game the previous night. Trying to sleep it off wasn't helping, so he asked Dave what he should do.

"You need to take some ibuprofen for the swelling and pain, and then you should have someone rub out the knots," Dave suggests mildly. Today is their usual hang-out day, because Finn (made Kurt's step-brother during his sophomore year, because their parents kept meeting and dating at their football practices, and finally, they got married) is out with Rachel on these days, and Burt and Carole do their weekly shopping.

"But I don't have anyone to massage me," Kurt says with a frown. "'S not like I have the money to go to someone, and –"

"I could do it. I am very talented with these things; I massage my mom almost every day after work, since she's on her feet all day." It's yes, an excuse to touch Kurt – he's slowly beginning to truly crush on the jock despite their odd, bully-bullied history – and yes, it's to help the poor guy, too.

Kurt flares with a blush. "Wh-what? B-but that's so… _intimate_! I don't want you to –"

"Come on, Kurt, it's not like I'm going to grope or molest you or something! I'm not that kind of guy," Dave says stiffly. He places a hand on his hip and gestures freely with the other. "But if it's so 'intimate,' then why would you pay some stranger to do it for you? You're not making sense, Kurt. Either you want your aches and pains to go away or you don't."

Kurt nibbles on his bottom lip, but then, with a lick over the raw skin of his lips, he nods a few times. "Fine. Just get it over with."

And since then, Kurt hasn't been able to refuse any more physical contact with the other boy.


	7. 07: Gameplay

_07. Gameplay_

On the night of the championship game, Kurt is wicked nervous. He's jumping up and down and shaking his hands, doing too many stretches and jumping-jacks and shaking his head and sweating.

He jogs off of the field, near the stands, and says one or two things to his football friends on the way before locating Dave with the rest of the gleeks – people Kurt has slushied before, people he wishes he could get to know as well as Dave does by going through Dave to meet them, but is too scared of facing because he's harassed them, too.

"David!" he calls out, his voice firm but his expression worried.

The singer steps out of his circle of friends and tells Santana and Brittany something before turning to Kurt. "Yes?"

"I need to talk to you for a second."

"Hopefully not to call him names!" Rachel says somewhere behind Brittany, where she's holding Finn's hand and chatting with Mercedes.

"I told you, we're on better terms, now!" Dave says over his shoulder to her, offering a reassuring smile. He faces Kurt again. With a tilt of his head and an adjustment to his scarf, he asks, "So, what's up?"

"Can we go somewhere else?" Kurt mutters, his voice still oddly level despite his twisting hands.

Dave frowns, puzzled, but nods. "Sure. I know a spot."

Dave leads his footballer friend over to the backside of the concession stand where no one is around and where no one is looking. The game should be starting in about ten minutes. Dave makes sure to have his back to the crowd, essentially blocking the paler boy from view.

Kurt removes his helmet and tucks it under one arm. His eyes are trained downward. "Give me a kiss for good luck," he says, his tone demanding and his hands clenched into fists.

The glee clubber blinks, a little dazed. Had he heard correctly. "Wait, did you say you wanted me to –?"

"Yes! God, can you just get it over with? I've never played a game this big or important against such a fierce team, and I want some luck on my side. Is that too much to ask for from my closest friend?" and Kurt, eyes blazing, snaps his head upward and dares to look the taller boy directly in the eye. His gaze is nearly a tangible needle between them.

Dave's lips part, and his eyelids lower slightly. Then… he smiles. "No, it's not too much to ask for. Come here."

Kurt steps forward, his movements jerky, and Dave swiftly and gracefully brings Kurt into his arms. He bends his head downward just enough to bring Kurt's lips to his.

Kurt whimpers and clings to Dave with one of his arms around Dave's neck, and there isn't anything sexually frustrated or confused in the gesture this time. When they pull away, Kurt's lips tingling and his gaze temporarily hazed, Dave takes the helmet from Kurt's other arm and uses it to gently push the boy back. Then he places it on the boy's head, tapping the top.

"Go get 'em, Tiger."

Kurt grins broadly, his confidence back. "I will. And you slaughter 'em at the half-time show, okay? I can't wait to see how you guys do Thriller. For a dorky club, New Directions is pretty good."

Dave chuckles as he shoves Kurt in the direction of the field. "I'll take that as a compliment."


	8. 08: Sensitive

**A/N: I don't think you guys understand how much like crack this is to me! It's silly and weird and awkward to imagine and so0o0o0o incredibly amusing to write. It's like the strangest things I've tried yet for this pairing, but it's addicting to me, because Kurt and Dave are still mostly themselves in subtle ways, and yet they are like each other, and the merge is this weird, unique personality for each of them that is kinda awesome to compose. **

**Like, Dave is still like the seme and Kurt still like the uke, and yet _not _and their friends and lives are reversed and just as intricate, and the situations occur differently because Kurt isn't nearly as intimidating as Dave when it comes to being a bully, and Dave isn't as small as Kurt in comparision when it comes to being bullied, so there's less fear and pain involved. It's so unlike the canon that it makes me giggle every time I write something. **

**And of course, I like to slip in WAAAAAY more fluff that ever possible for the show, haha.**

**Anyway, enjoy this next one!**

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><p><em>08. Sensitive<em>

"You're going to Prom with Brittany?"

"Yeah. She's mad at Artie and she says that she knew I was gay when we dated for a couple weeks and I didn't once try to touch her breasts or have sex with her, and when she caught me checking out Sam's ass once, so she says she'll keep my secret but use me a little bit to go up against Quinn and Lauren for Prom Queen, because she really wants to be a princess or something. Whatever," Kurt shrugs, plopping down on his couch and raising his feet to rest in Dave's lap.

Dave automatically starts rubbing Kurt's feet without thinking much about it, and Kurt doesn't pay it much mind. It's become standard for them, because Dave is as touchy-feely as he is, and Kurt has just given up all caring.

They haven't kissed or done anything remotely couple-like since the championship game in February. It's April, now, and nearing the end. There's only two more months left of school, and it feels like forever ago since the beginning of the year when Kurt bullied Dave, and the beginning of the second semester when they progressively became friends.

"Dave?"

"Yeah?"

"Does it… Does it bother you that I'm going with her? You're going with Rachel as friends in a group with Mercedes and Sam, but I wonder if you're ever bothered by not having a _real _date."

Dave shrugs, his hands slowing their work on Kurt's arches. He moves to Kurt's ankles as he answers, "Not really. I love my friends, and I know how much Rachel needs me there after losing Finn to Quinn, so I don't mind being her technical date along with Sam and 'Cedes. It'll be more fun, anyway, since I won't be tethered to someone. Why? Are you bothered at all?"

Kurt swallows and looks away, his head falling back onto a throw pillow. "Promise you won't judge me if I'm totally honest?"

"No, of course not, Kurt. I would never," Dave returns sincerely. "What is it?"

"I'm _really _bothered by it. I don't want to win Prom King, I don't want to dance with a girl, and I'm… I'm jealous of what you have: real friends and stuff." Kurt chokes a little, nearly about to cry. He squeezes his quivering eyes shut and tries to push it out of his mind to will the tears away.

Dave stops his ministrations completely and moves to leans over Kurt. One hand presses into the couch cushion and the other removes Kurt's hand from his face. "Shh, hey, it's okay. You know, for a tough jock, you're actually really sensitive. But that's good; I like that about you. It makes you stronger." He leans down and pecks Kurt on the cheek. "Don't sweat Prom, okay? It's supposed to be fun, not a doggy-downer. If it makes you feel better, I'll save a dance for you after it's all over."

Kurt opens his eyes, and they are thankfully dry. He pushes himself up, and Dave leans back again to give Kurt space. Back to his stubborn self, Kurt retorts, "You _better _dance with me, Fancy, or the Fury will find your ass and kick it." The Fury is the name of Kurt's left leg, his most powerful weapon. It's what he helps his team win so many games with.

Dave rolls his eyes and laughs. "I'll be sure to remember that."


	9. 09: Queen

**A/N: I'm posting 09-11 together because they go together, and then there won't be any more for today because I'M GOING TO MY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION CEREMONY TONIGHT! (5/19/11). W00T!**

**Dave in a kilt was from this swap!Kurtofsky pic by Pixolith (remove spaces): h t t p : / pics. livejournal. com/pixolith/pic/00017as6  
><strong>

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><p><em>09. Queen.<em>

Laughing, Sam slings his arm over Dave's and Mercedes' shoulders while the two clap in unison for Kurt's winning of Prom King. Dave puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles for his friend, clapping and cheering for him. On the other side of the stage, Brittany looks giddy with the impending win she'll surely receive.

But as it happens, Figgins gets a weird look on his face, then deadpans as he reads, "And the winner for Prom Queen with the most write-in votes… is Dave Karofsky."

The crowd goes silent. Prom goers stare, glare, or blink in Dave's direction, and Dave feels a rush of insult, humiliation, and horror wash over him. Then, slowly, Dave's inner fire is flared into full force. He strides collectively and firmly up to the stage, and while part of him wants to cry, he swallows it down and lifts his head up higher. Kurt stares at him in awe, and soon, Dave is setting a smirk on his face (a lie; Kurt can see that much) as he accepts the crown with a little curtsy of his kilt.

"Thank you all _so much_ –" the sarcasm is there, but cleverly hidden – "For this great _honor. _I'm glad you all think that I'm a sexier bitch more well-deserving of this crown than all of the other lovely ladies here." And he flashes his best grin, winks, and steps away from the microphone.

Looking uncomfortable, Figgins murmurs, "…And now is time for the traditional King and Queen dance."

The music comes in awkwardly and steadily as Kurt and Dave walk stiffly down from the stage and out into the forming circle of space in the crowd.

Beside him, Kurt hears Dave whisper, "Are you up for this? Everyone knows we're friends, but I doubt you would want to come Out like this."

Kurt sucks in air tightly, and once they're in the center, Kurt turns and faces Dave with quivering lips. "I… I don't think I can," he utters brokenly.

And just like that, Kurt rushes out of the gymnasium. No one says a word. They all suspect it's because Kurt's too straight to dance with a guy, but that isn't true.

Dave waits a short while before following. He waits until the crowd is shrugging and huddling back together, so make it less obvious that he's slipping out into the hallway. He can't expose his feelings for Kurt by running after him immediately, and he hopes Kurt will understand, because Dave doesn't want to Out him since the smaller boy is clearly not ready to do so yet. But with a voice like his, Dave almost wonders if they all already know and are literally in the closet with their King.

Alone in the hallway, Dave doesn't see Kurt straight away. He removes his crown, the symbol of so many things tonight: joy, disaster, insult, injury, opportunity, stereotypes, false bravado, acceptance, rejection, and the list goes on and on like Santa's 'naughty' and 'nice' scrolls.

Funny how they can call David a 'queen,' too, when he doesn't even cross-dress like a drag queen (okay, so, maybe he's in a kilt that is essentially a skirt, and maybe he wore one shirt once that came from the woman's section at TJ Maxx). But, he supposes, it doesn't matter about that because in their eyes, he's just gay and that's all it takes.


	10. 10: Dance

_10. Dance._

The music is distant and vague by the time Dave finds Kurt in the choir room, the last place he expected the little jock to be.

"…Kurt…?" he ventures softly, peeking his head into the room. It's dark, and it takes a moment for Dave's eyes to dilate and adjust.

"How is it that you're the one who's punk'd in the worst way, but I'm the one who runs away?" Kurt's frail voice rings out, and Dave maneuvers around the instruments and chairs the room he has memorized like the back of his hand until he reaches his friend.

"You have a point," David mutters a tad gruffly, still sore about the fresh incident. He clears his throat to make himself sound more soothing. "But, you have to remember, I'm not the guy in the closet, here. If I dance with a guy, everyone would think that is normal. But if you dance with a guy… it would be the same as having sex with one in front of everybody, because it all means the same to them: you'd be gay, and then you'd lose a lot of things. But you know what, Kurt?"

The jock sniffles without crying and straights himself in his spot on the choir risers. "What?"

"You'll never lose me. And hey, didn't I promise you a dance?"

Dave stands, offering a hand to Kurt, a smile on his face. It's a minute smile, one that's only meant to make Kurt feel at least a tad better.

It works wonders. Kurt straights up, stands, and takes Dave's hand to both help lift him up and fit into Dave's pose. Kurt doesn't really know how to dance, so he lets Dave lead him in a miniature waltz, one that evolves into something a little more freeform and spontaneous, Dave swinging Kurt out on one arm and twirling him back in, holding him from behind, one arm overlapping Kurt's arm, their hands together, and swaying from foot to foot as they stand together for a moment.

"Dancing without music is weird," Kurt mutters, his face feeling warm. "I don't know what beat to move to."

"Yeah, but these dance moves are so generic," Dave answers as he spins his friend back around to face him, grasping his free hand and steeping forward and back, "That they can be done to any tune. That's why they were such popular moves in the day." He shrugs. "But if you want something, I can always sing for you. Or hum."

Kurt rolls his eyes. "Show-off. As much as I like your voice and all, it's fine like this," he says, his tone losing its edge as he speaks more. He sighs, closes his eyes, and slows down their dancing to a sway again, moving to rest his head against Dave's chest.

Dave flushes, but acts like it's normal, even though his ears are really burning. He slides his hands out of Kurt's grasp and uses them to encircle Kurt's shoulders. Kurt's own hands slip from Dave's shoulders to his waist, and he steps a bit closer.

"…You know, sometimes I really hate being with you," the jock utters in the silence. Dave stops swaying, but notices how Kurt doesn't pull away, so he waits for him to explain to himself. Kurt continues, "Because when I'm with you, the lines get blurred and I sometimes forget that we're friends, or that I used to pick on you, or that, according to everyone else… I'm not supposed to _like _you." He lifts his head, a slight frown on his face. "You mess me up so much, but you're the only one fixing things at the same time. What the Hell, David? Why _you? _And how does that even _work?_"

Dave is speechless. He simply holds the jock and peers down at him, a flood of feelings causing a natural disaster on Dave's insides. "You really… _like_ me? Like _that_? I-I mean, you've kissed me thrice, but…"

Kurt stomps down his foot in frustration, releasing Dave but not stepping out of his personal space. "_Yes,_ dammit! I'm pretty fucking obvious, I think. And I just said that sometimes I _forget _that we're friends, because I feel like – like we're –" And he stops abruptly, not even drifting off, because the thought needs to be stopped before it's leaked.

"Like we're dating," Dave finishes slowly, trying to absorb the idea.

Kurt shakes his head, hands gripping the sides of his face. "Please don't say it out loud," Kurt groans in despair, "Or else you'll make it true. And I can't date a guy, I just– I just _can't."_

'Not yet,' being the unsaid words there.

"I think our dance is over now, huh?" Dave murmurs, but not unkindly.

Kurt doesn't respond. He shakes his head again, eyes closed, and he turns and starts to walk.

But Dave doesn't let him leave, not again. He's left too many times, and running from this is never going to solve anything.


	11. 11: Strut

_11. Strut._

"Kurt! Gosh darn it, get back here!" Dave says with a roll of his eyes at how dramatic someone supposedly _so heterosexual_ is. He grabs Kurt by the wrist right there in the hallway, and it's almost amazing that no one has come looking for them quite yet.

"Dammit, Fancy, I can't do this right now! Can't you leave me alone?" Kurt retorts, snapping like a dog's jaws as he pivots sharply on his heel and glares at his former target. "Can't I walk away this once?"

"Nope. You've used your last 'Get Out of Jail Free' card, and now you have to do your time. Besides, you never _walk, _Kurt; you _strut._" And Dave grins a little at his own quips. He changes his grip on Kurt's wrist to lace their fingers together. "And I'm not leaving you alone, not after all the times when I should have pressed forward, for your sake. And maybe me own selfish sake, too."

"God, Dave, you're far from selfish. _I'm _the selfish one," Kurt sighs. He's trembling almost imperceptibly. He steps closer again, his hang tightening its grip on Dave's hand. "I just…" he breathes, peering upward, "I want things to be simpler."

"If you come Out to your dad – who I'm sure will love you no matter what – then things can start to get simpler. And if you come Out to the school, I'm sure the Glee Club would take you in, and if not, I would make them do it. You can still have a place in this school, Kurt, even if you're gay. Look at me: I'm mostly invisible, and it's not that bad. I have friends because of the club I'm in, and for a while, I was being picked on by this short kicker of the McKinley Titans –"

"Hey, I'm not _that _short! I'm almost as tall as you!"

"– And I just got the worst joked played on me at my own junior prom, but I know that I still have friends who will stand by me through it all, and then there's this guy I know who's always on my mind. And I know that as long as I've got him around, I can belong so matter what's different or special about me."

When Dave finishes, Kurt swallows, and this time, his eyes do water with tears as his blue-turned-green eyes scan the singer's face, Dave's usually hazel eyes a warmer, mostly-brown color. A tear falls when Kurt blinks, and he whispers, "You really think I can come Out to… to my dad? Or the school?"

"Yes, of course," Dave says with a lighthearted smile. "I believe in your strength, Kurt. And you should believe in it, too, because, like being gay and strutting around the place like you own it, it's part of who you are."

Kurt laughs a little breathlessly, relief coursing through him. He lightly shoves Dave's shoulders and takes a step or two back. "You're so mushy, David. And you know, you don't walk _or _strut: you _sashay, _and it's really girly. Your hips even sway. What is up with that?"

And the taller boy simply laughs. With a jerk of his head in the direction of the gym, he says, "Wanna go back in there, now?"

Kurt wipes his face. "Yeah, sure. But if anyone asks, I was in the bathroom; and you…" Kurt frowns, thinking for a moment. Then, slowly, a devious grin consumes his features. "And you were off getting drunk. How good is your sashay when you're acting drunk? 'Cause you're gonna need it to play the part."

"…You are the world's worst improv liar, Kurt."


	12. 12: Official

_12. Official._

"Yup, so, it's official."

"What is?" Dave inquires mildly as he brings his gaze up from the book he's reading, a cute retelling of Beauty and the Beast that has a way-off-case movie about it but is a great story as its intended (the movie, in Dave's opinion, would be cooler if it was its own idea and not based off of the book).

Kurt straddles a chair backward in front of the table Dave's seated at in the library during their study hall. "Everyone's forgotten about Prom. No one cares about it anymore. Which is good, because I was hoping it would blow over."

The Glee Club member nods and turns the page of his little paperback copy of _Beastly_. "That's nice, I suppose. I was tired of the odd looks." He makes a humming sound. "Mm, but then again, I didn't really care. After Prom, I'm dead set on Nationals."

"Oh, that's right; your geeky little club is going to a competition soon. You nervous?"

"Nope. I am only excited. We're going to New York, you know. I've been saving up money for months for tickets for a show on Broadway, and I bought them online just the other night. I'm going to have a blast." And Dave smirks as he glances up, noting how Kurt seems a little more than miffed.

Kurt makes a scoffing sound. "Feh. That's cool, I guess."

"…You're envious. You want to see New York."

"Only Yankee Stadium! None of that Broadway crap. But yeah, I wanna go to fucking New York. Who wouldn't?" Kurt retorts quickly. He sinks down into his chair, his arms folded along the top, mouth hidden behind his forearms. "…Be safe, okay? I… I don't want anything to happen to you while you're there. NYC is dangerous."

Dave glances up from his book, completely startled. He blinks, then smiles softly. "I will, Kurt. I'll come back in perfect shape, you'll see."

"You _better_," Kurt grumbles, "Because I don't be there to protect your sorry ass."


	13. 13: Mine

_13. Mine._

Kurt winds up calling Dave once a day while he's away at New York. And while New Directions doesn't take the Nationals trophy, they place at a decent number – six out of the whole country – and Kurt gets pissed saying that they deserved to win – that _Dave _deserved the win for his "awesome voice" – but he congratulates his friend nonetheless.

Then, softly, before they hang up on the boarding of the plane going back to Ohio, Dave hears Kurt murmur, "I'm glad nothing serious happened to you, like a mugging or something. I don't like what's mine getting damaged."

And David is about to ask what Kurt means: "his" as in, 'his _friend_,' or "his" as in, 'his _possession_?' Because the way it was worded sounded like the latter. But Kurt rushes a goodbye, and it's too late to clarify.


	14. 14: Welcome

_14. Welcome._

When Dave gets home from the airport, he smells like plane and hotel and not like himself, and he feels gross. He goes to take a shower, and when he gets out – wrapped in a towel, crossing the hallway to go do his moisturizing routine and get dressed for the evening (lounge wear) – he hears a knock at the door. An urgent one that would warrant a ring of the doorbell if it weren't broken.

"Dad, could you get the door?" Dave calls down as he stops in his bedroom doorway and calls down the stairs.

"Going, son, going." There's a pause in sound, and Dave closes his door. He drops his towel and looks for some underwear and stylish lounge pants to wear, and tugs them on. Muffled, he can hear his father's voice downstairs. "He's in his room. He'll be happy to see you."

David sits down at his vanity and starts rubbing creams into his freshly cleaned skin when there's a knock at his bedroom door. "It's unlocked," Dave says calmly, peering through his mirror to see who enters.

Dave doesn't have time to react to the face he sees in the mirror before the arms of that person are encircling his neck from behind. "Welcome home, Dave. I missed you," Kurt whispers. Dave drops the tube in his hands.

"Kurt!" he says, happiness evident in his tone. He smiles and pries Kurt off of him long enough to stand and hug him fully. "I missed you, too. And look, I'm in perfect shape, just like I said I'd be."

"I can see that," Kurt remarks, one of his hands running down Dave's bare front. He smirks and glances upward. "In fact, you're _better_ than perfect. Never seen you shirtless before." And he makes Dave blush with that.

Pouting, the taller boy retorts, "Shut up, Kurt! You teeny gay pervert…"


	15. 15: Control

**A/N: Continues where the last one left off. But I dunno, does this one sound like an ending? 'Cause I both do and don't think so, and I just wanna know if i should do mroe than 15 drabbles or not. XD**

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><p><em>15. Control.<em>

"A pervert, am I?" Kurt chuckles, "Well, I'll show you how _perverse_ I can be, Dave Karofsky…"

And Dave moans just under his breath when Kurt says that, because accompanied by his words, Kurt reaches down between them and grabs Dave's ass with both hands.

"Ah, K-Kurt, don't!" Dave whines, removing Kurt's hands and backing up a step. "My dad's downstairs, and he doesn't know that you're gay, and – a-and I'm not… ready for something like that. I can't even watch porn without sitting there and thinking, 'What would your mother say if she knew you did this on tape? Or did that with somebody you don't love?' And don't get me _started_ on my reactions to piercings and tattoos, let alone the sexual acts that reveal where those things are located…"

Kurt blows air out of his mouth and glances away. "You're no fun."

"Since when are you this okay with acting on your sexuality, anyway? Last time I checked, you can barely kiss or touch me for too long without retreating," Dave remarks a hint nervously, trying to keep his distance and cease the rush of emotions going through him.

Kurt shrugs. "Ever since you left for New York for a while, and the fact that no one cares what happened at Prom. And since I decided to come out to more of my family while you were away. I feel better about things, now." He hesitates on what he has to say next. He fiddles with the hem of his t-shirt. "I just don't know if I can hold it in anymore, even though I know I _need_ to for school, at least through next year. I don't want the guys on the team to be weirded out by me."

Dave nods, still trying to keep the conversation away from the sexual stuff. "Uh, yeah. I understand that. But still, good for you, I guess. You're progressing."

"I'm even progressing enough that I've come to a decision," the kicker returns calmly as he advances on his friend, arms reaching out to take Dave's hands. "I want to date you, David. Not publicly, though, unless we're away from Lima. But I want to be more than friends, and kiss you whenever I want, and take you places that are nicer than just hanging out at the mall or something." His eyes flicker down to Dave's naked chest, and he slips a hand out of Dave's to trail his fingertips in a ticklish manner across the hair on Dave's pecs, traveling down to his stomach. The singer shudders pleasantly, eyes fluttering. "And you'll give me that much, right? Along with some time, until I can face the school and stuff without fear?"

"Yes, of course, Kurt," Dave answers, his voice breathy. "I can give you that."

And Dave knows that, despite their sizes, Kurt's the one who's really in control in this bizarre relationship.


	16. Part 2: 01: Dapper

**A/N: I decided to continue this as a sort of built-in sequel. Hope no one minds~! ;D**

**Idea of Blaine entering the scene is courtesy of Veritas4Eternity. C:  
><strong>

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><p><em><strong>Part 2.<strong>_

_01. Dapper._

Dave knew him from Sectionals and Regionals; he knew him this entire time as just the lead soloist, and just a _random guy, _but one day, while he and Kurt are on an only-known-to-them-as-a-real-date outing, they run into him, and Kurt meets and comes to know him, too.

His name is Blaine Anderson, and he's handsome and dapper and funny and quirky and a little cocky, and he's upper-middle class and gentlemanly and caring and understanding and supportive and happy-go-lucky.

He's _perfect. _Part of his perfection resides in his flaws, too; as he talks with the two boys as he joins their group of two to form a trio as they wander around Lima's annual out-of-school celebration carnival, Blaine explains his father's disapproval of the fact that he's gay (because he didn't even try to withhold that information, and he even states how he knows that Dave is gay by how obviously he dresses), and how he got beat up for going with a boy to a dance once, and how he sucks at things involving love.

And all while he's talking, he laughs at the witty little remarks Dave adds into the conversation, and he touches Dave seemingly on accident or innocently, but Kurt sees how Blaine's fingers linger or clench afterward, and he sees how Blaine's brown puppy-dog eyes follow Dave's body and Dave's lips and Dave's tongue. And he sees, too, how Blaine flushes minutely, his face lighting up, every time one of those touches or witty remarks come into being.

And on the other side of David, forced to keep some distance to appear heterosexual to everyone else at the carnival, Kurt is left to seethe with rage and jealousy as this guy he hardly knows _flirts _with his boyfriend-who-isn't-officially-his-boyfriend because he isn't out of the closet.

And he begins to resent every last things about Blaine, because Kurt realizes that if he isn't careful, Blaine could very easily snatch the fashionista away from him. Blaine is, after all, "Out and Proud" and a singer, _like David_, and Kurt is just some teeny (closeted gay) (perverted) (imperfect) jock who can't compare at all.


	17. 02: Standby

_02. Standby_

"Oh! I have another call, Kurt. I'll have to put you on standby~," Dave says teasingly as he moves to switch the line, hearing before he flashes over something along the lines of, 'why can't you just say _on hold?'_ "Hello?"

"Hey!"

He answers the other end, asking politely, "Who might this be?"

"Aw, don't you recognize my voice? I'm wounded, David, I truly am," the person replies.

"Blaine!" Dave laughs, recognizing the voice now that it's said more. "How are you? I see you put my number to use. What's the occasion?"

"None, I just wanted to talk to you," Blaine says sweetly.

"That's thoughtful of you, Blaine, but I was actually in the middle of a conversation with somebody. Is it all right if I call you back later, once I'm done?" Dave replies.

Blaine seems to pause, the silence seeming as if he were shrugging. "Sure, of course. I would hate to be rude and steal you from the other conversationalist. May I ask who it is?"

"Kurt Hummel; you know, the boy in the letterman I was hanging out with at the carnival last week?" Dave says, trying to keep the affection out of his voice when he says Kurt's name. He'll never let Kurt know until it's further along in their relationship, but he's irrevocably in love with him. Okay, so that's a bit strong, but he definitely feels something akin to that for the smaller boy who used to steal his lunch money but now has stolen his heart.

"…Oh," Blaine says mildly. "Yes, I can see that. You two looked like good pals. But if you ask me – and I am being honest, so bear with me, David – I think he's bad for you, as a friend and influence. I happen to be an excellent judge of character, and by the way he kept glaring at me, I have the feeling that he is a jealous friend, and those sorts can be very dangerous. And he seemed a little violent."

"Well, he does have a history of some violence, but nothing bad, I assure you. He's beyond the locker slams and threats, now. I've forgiven him, anyway," Dave attempts to say in Kurt's defense.

"Wait… 'Forgiven him?' As in, he used to do those things _to you? _David! That's bullying! You're telling me that your _bully _is your _friend? _I'm sorry, but I can't say I agree with that. That sort of relationship is more dangerous than I thought!" Blaine says with genuine concern.

Dave frowns. "What? It's… It's nothing like that! Kurt's so much better now, and… and if I want to make friends with someone who used to hurt me because I've seen how they've changed and I understand their reasoning and I forgive them, then it's _fine, _Blaine. He hasn't done a thing since, and he's… a very good friend of mine, like you said. So don't judge people before you know them, your sense of 'character' decent or not!" Dave retorts, his voice on edge. "I've kept him waiting long enough. I'll talk to you later, Blaine."

And with an angry click, he flashes back over to Kurt's line on his phone. "Oh, you're back. Hey, Dave. What did Blaine want? Took you awhile, anyway."

"Nothing," Dave says, instantly calming down at the soothing sound of Kurt's melodic voice (why isn't he in Glee Club, again? He sounds like he would have a lovely singing voice, in Dave's opinion). "Now, what were we talking about, again?"

"The evolution of all things Mario," Kurt answers with a smirk in his voice.

"Oh, that's right! Now, can we just talk about Princess Peach for a second? Why is she letting a plumber save her, and how come she keeps letting herself get kidnapped…?"


	18. 03: Fruity

**A/N: Okay, this is totally something I wish I would have thought to write with the characters being their normal selves. So do me a favor, would you? While reading, think of this AU, but then go back and re-read it, thinking of the original characters, because some of this dialogue is far too normal!Kurt and normal!Dave, if they were together. :'D**

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><p><em>03. Fruity.<em>

David unrolls the strip at the top of his brand new pack of Zebra Stripes gum, a colorful, fruity candy from his childhood. It smells like sugary heaven, complete with all of the fruity scents he remembers: cherry, lime, lemon, orange, and whatever else is in there, like pineapple or something. He inhales, takes out a pink-wrapped piece, and folds the striped strip into his mouth.

While he chews, the momentary flavor bursts in his mouth, unchanged from when he was younger. He father always used to tease him, saying that it was a girly, childish gum, but Dave never cared. It tasted good and when he was a kid, it had tongue-applicable tattoos of the zebra mascot doing various sports, and he thought that was just _so _cool.

Kurt finishes at the cash register behind Dave, and when he meets up with him, Dave is smirking. Bending over as Kurt pushes the cart full of groceries for his Hummel-Hudson families' Fourth of July barbeque, Dave mutters low enough for Kurt to hear, "If you kissed me right now, I would be sweet-fruity-delicious."

"You're always fruity," Kurt snorts in reply, poking fun at Dave's (and his shared) sexuality. He smiles, and nudges his (boy)friend with his elbow. "And hey, thanks for coming shopping with me. I hate shopping so much, and you're so organized. You totally zipped through the list my dad gave me."

"Burt told me that you would need assistance, so I was happy to offer my services," David retorts with a smile. "Now let's get out of here so you can taste this gum in the car."

"But I thought you said you weren't giving me a piece because you like keeping it all to yourself?" Kurt winks, playing along.

Dave laughs. "Yes, well. You caught me, because who said I was going to give you a piece? You'll have to have my sloppy seconds." And he licks his lips to prove his point.

Kurt has to look away to keep from thinking dirty thoughts that go beyond the kisses Dave is hinting at.


	19. 04: Hair

_04. Hair._

They're lying together on Dave's couch while Dave's father is out for the night. There is a movie playing on the television screen, but Kurt isn't paying it any mind as he faces Dave where they lie lengthwise on the furniture, arms around one another.

Kurt's arm behind Dave's head bends at the wrist to fiddle with his hair, short curls always smoothed down or parted to the side with hair gel, unlike Kurt's own hair that is wild and free, hanging over his forehead and sticking up sometimes in back when he sleeps on it wet. But Dave's hair is always kept neat and tidy.

Frowning, Kurt remarks, "Why do you style your hair like this? It reminds me too much of Blaine's, and I don't like that guy."

"I've always had my hair like this, even before I knew Blaine. Why does it bother you so much?" Dave questions, a frown of his own making its way onto his catlike, perfectly plucked eyebrows.

Kurt shrugs, and chooses to hide his face under Dave's chin, ducking in to kiss the tender skin of Dave's neck. Dave's breath hitches in his throat. Kurt answers lowly, "I just don't like how buddy-buddy he is with you. The guys seems like a manipulative snake to me."

"Blaine's not _that _bad…" Dave supplies at length, his hands curling at the topmost knuckles into the back of Kurt's shirt. His letterman is draped over a chair somewhere, and their shoes are kicked off onto the floor somewhere else, their legs tangled together. "He's…" Dave's mind is becoming less and less coherent, "Pretty nice…"

"Humph," Kurt grunts, teeth exposed as he nips playfully at Dave's collarbone, making the more fashionable boy gasp and lose track of the movie's plot and his coherent thoughts altogether. "I just don't trust him."


	20. 05: Through

_05. Through._

Kurt stares at his boyfriend of approximately a month (but a friend for so much longer) and his fingers ache, his lips twitch, because Dave is chatting with Blaine in Dave's car, laughing and not even getting out to head into the mall like they planned to.

Admittedly, this is considered stalking. Kurt is plenty aware of that. But he just wants to make sure that Blaine doesn't try anything, since Blaine thinks Dave is single when he isn't. It's all so very backwards and complex, and Kurt would hate for Dave to catch him and have this ruin their relationship.

Because Kurt can see the argument now: Kurt screaming how he can "see right through" Dave, and how Dave is "steadily falling for Blaine," and he can almost see Dave crying or yelling back that Kurt "has gone mad" or "needs to calm down" and it would get ugly and awkward because Dave would call Kurt jealous and Kurt might call him a cheating slut and it might turn physical, and despite being the larger one, Dave wouldn't win because of Kurt's background in the martial arts.

Sighing, Kurt decides to head home. It's not like he left his car, even though the two the two friends he had been keeping a close eye on have already gone inside. This just… isn't right. And Kurt doesn't want to get into that sort of fight, and he doesn't want Dave mad at him, and he doesn't want to lose Dave, and above all else, he wants Dave to know that Kurt trusts him.

It's just Blaine that Kurt doesn't trust, because Blaine seems like the kind of guy who can "fall in love with" and generally _use_ people very easily, be it for a crutch or his own ego or issues, Kurt doesn't know, and he just doesn't want to get involved.

So he turns tail and heads home, his heart sinking as he thinks to himself, 'Why can't Dave have friends? Why am I so envious of others hanging out with him?'

And it's then that he realizes: Dave having friends is fine, it's just gay friends who flirt with him are the sort that Kurt isn't okay with, because Blaine's actions and intentions? Yeah, Kurt can see right through those.


	21. 06: Proof

_06. Proof._

"Kurt? Can I talk to you about something without you getting… offended?" Dave begins softly, his eyes searching Kurt's.

The jock's face takes on a tender expression. He smiles a little and leans forward over the table, his hand grasping Dave's. "Hey, you know you can tell me anything, right? I swear I won't attack you or something. What's on your mind?"

Dave bites his bottom lip, unable to eat his dinner. They're at a restaurant out in Westerville to avoid seeing anyone from Lima, and to spare their wallets, because Westerville has a lot more options for places that are cheap but nice.

"I think Blaine is making moves on me. I don't know, I could be making it up in my head, but he seems… interested. And I don't know what to do; I like him a–"

"I knew it!" Kurt says darkly, removing his hand and slamming it hard onto the table. Some other customers glance over at him, confused and startled. He pays them no heed and continues, his eyes glaring down at the vague speckled pattern on the diner's table, "So that's it, then? You're breaking up with me for someone better?"

"What? No! God, Kurt, if would have just let me _finish, _I was about to say how I like him _as a friend _and don't want to hurt his feeling by _letting him down_ and telling him how I _already _have a boyfriend and am not interested." Kurt's eyes jerk upward to connect with David's, and he looks relieved. Dave goes on, "But if I'm wrong, and he's just overly friendly or affectionate with his friends or something, then I'm going to look really stupid. –Dammit, why do you have to jump to conclusions, anyway? This is why I but rarely discuss tender subjects with you!"

Kurt's face washes with guilt, and his stomach lurches uneasily with shame. He bows his head, dropping his gaze. "…I'm sorry, David." He sucks in air tensely. "I just… r-really don't want to lose you to somebody else. I already feel, I dunno, unworthy or something since I used to bully you, and…" he drifts off, unable to finish. He looks back up at the singer's calm hazel eyes. "Do you know what I'm tryin' to say?"

Dave's shoulders lower as he sighs, losing his edge. "Yes, Kurt. I know." He pauses to lean forward and reconnect their hands. "…I _know_. The proof is there with how possessive you are. You need to work on that." And he smiles.

Kurt laughs weakly, releasing Dave's hand to pick up his fork again. "Heh, yeah. I'll try."


	22. 07: Trouble

_07. Trouble._

Kurt's summer job is simple: helping out his dad at the Hummel family-owned mechanic shop. They work on cars and things together all day, taking breaks for lunch and coffee, chatting it up, and his father either being considerate or forgetful when it comes to mentioning Dave, because he seems to avoid making his son talk about his homosexuality.

But trouble in the form of Blaine Anderson stops in one day in early August, his car in need of a tune-up, especially his squeaking brakes.

The stubborn ox of a boy that is Kurt Hummel evades the prep school boy, doing his best to not to have to deal with him, because it's all Blaine's fault that Kurt and David are at odds with each other lately. It's not always so bad, but there are a few moments or days here and there when Blaine is brought into sight or conversation, and it makes Kurt want to scream. Especially when Kurt borrowed Dave's iPhone for the day since he lost his own, and he checked the text logs out of curiosity and saw about a million were from Blaine alone.

Grinding his teeth, Kurt watches as Blaine's car is cared for and then Blaine is sent on his way.

And Kurt can think is, 'I sure hope Dapper McHobbitpants was a senior before, because I want his ass to hurry up and leave for college already, out of mine and David's life forever.'


	23. 08: Proportion

**A/N: So this one doesn't really have any humor in it at all, despite the genre of the story. I guess I need some angst in order to be satisfied, so I apologize, but here's this. XD**

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><p><em>08. Proportion.<em>

"You're blowing things completely out of proportion, Kurt," David giggles nervously when Kurt dares him during a time-killing game of truth or dare to stop seeing Blaine, even as friends.

"Am I? Then why did he get his car fixed at my dad's place and then use it to take you out to Breadstix? Breadstix is a date-place, David. You were on a _date._"

"No, we weren't! I am sick and tired of you obsessing over Blaine. How can I be sure _you're _not the one falling in love wit him, huh? Ever thought it might hurt me the way you keep pestering me about the time I spend with him? He's just a someone else to hang out with while all the Glee kids are working summer jobs or taking vacations or visiting relatives. I don't have people to really be with during the summer outside of you and him, really. So why does it matter?"

"I told you! I don't want to lose you to him!" Kurt retorts, tears brimming his eyes. "…You're _all _I have."

That stops Dave dead in his tracks. "What… what do you mean by that?"

Kurt sniffs, trying not to cry. He hunches his shoulders insecurely and hides himself a bit in his letterman by sinking into its collars and sleeves. "I don't have real friends, Dave. And no one besides my family knows that I'm gay and struggling with it. I try to talk to my dad, but it's awkward. He's fine with it, and supportive, and loving, even, but it's not the same. It's weird. So I have you to be my friend and mentor or whatever. There's only _you_."

Dave's breathing nearly ceases. His heart hammers in his ears, thumping loudly. His fingertips pulsate, and before he realizes what he's doing, he bringing the jock across from him into his arms, onto his pretzeled lap, holding him tightly.

"Kurt… I'll stop hanging out with Blaine if it comforts you. Honestly, I don't care about him quite as much as you think, and I don't care about anyone else, really, besides you. I love my Glee Club friends, but…" He lowers his voice to a whisper, his own tears prickling his eyes and blurring his vision. "I only truly _love _you."


	24. 09: Love

_09. Love._

Kurt pulls away, a tear or two on his cheeks, and he stares, open-mouthed, at Dave in disbelief. "You… you love me?"

Dave flushes a deep pink. "Y-yeah. Why else would I have said it?"

Kurt smiles. "No, I just… Wow. Um. I've been wanting to say that to you for a long time, ever since I got a crush on you in freshman year, but I never thought I could say it, and I never _ever _thought you might… Really, though? You're sure?"

The singer laughs and places a peck on Kurt's lips. "Yes, Neanderthal. I'm sure. We're still playing Truth or Dare, right? Well, consider that my next turn for a truth." He feels bubbly and giddy all of a sudden, as if cleared of any pains or doubts by just saying those words. He chuckles again, pulling Kurt close, and with a broad smile, he adds again for good measure, "I love you."

"Love is weird," Kurt replies meekly, wrapping his legs around Dave and leaning his head onto Dave's shoulder. "And a little too mushy for my liking. But just so you know, Fancy, I mean it: I love you, too. So fucking much."

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><p><strong>AN: I just want to keep these two in my pocket forever. Is that too much to ask for? I mean, I have shimeji!Kurt and shimeji!Dave on my desktop thanks to the lovely and aforementioned Pixolith, but still. They can be so cute together if Ryan Murphy just wrote it into the show. X3**


	25. 10: Choice

_10. Choice._

"It's your choice when you want to come out of the closet, Kurt. I know how much being kicker means to you, as well as the approval of others. And I already told you that I'd wait for you," Dave reminds Kurt when they get a ride together to school from Finn. Kurt has Dave's hand in his, and Finn had asked if Kurt was going to walk into the building like that or not.

After all, this is the senior year of high school finally beginning. It's going to whiz by faster than every other year thanks to all of the bird classes (easy-to-pass courses) and fun events in store. Senior year is often how you're remembered until the high school reunions. Senior year is everyone's last chance to change things, redefine themselves, find a college/career, and make their mark on their peers and entire school.

Kurt inhales shakily, peering through the mirror at Finn's brown eyes. He nods firmly. "I'm aware, both of you. But after the whole Blaine fiasco – thank goodness he actually was a graduate and I won't have to worry about him anymore, now that he's going to Yale or whatever – I want to do this. I don't want to hide anymore. And you know what? I figure that if someone has a problem with it, I can beat their ass or put them in their place or get my dad on my side to defend me, depending on the case. So it's cool. I just need to take it like a man. Dave has this entire time, so why can't I?"

Dave gives Kurt's hand a squeeze, their laces fingers going white with the comfortable pressure. "I'm so proud of you, Kurt. Trust me, you're making the right choice. And if not… you always have Finn and me, and I'm sure the Glee Club would welcome you, too, even if you've slushies just about all of them at least once."

Kurt chuckles, but it's more with relief and tension conflicting inside him than actual humor. "Right, totally. There's always that."

Finn turns off the car and unlocks the doors. "Well, then let's get you in there to make a statement. I'll be rooting for you, bro. Rock on!"

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><p><strong>AN: I decided to make both parts equal, so there will be 15 of each, making a total of 30 drabbles in the end. Okee-dokee?**


	26. 11: Out

_11. Out._

Kurt marches into the school like a little toy soldier, the color of his shirt under his letterman ironically a dark army green. He grips David's hand with firm strength, almost feeling Dave's confidence and love surging out of his hand and up through Kurt's arm.

Kurt inhales and exhales through his nose, keeping himself as calm as possible. But that doesn't stop his heart from rattling in his chest like a worn-out muffler on its last run. It bats between his lungs, and briefly, the image of Pong reaches Kurt's mind.

He continues walking to his new locker, lets go of Dave's hand long enough to gather up his books in his book bag and put others away, and then proceeds to sling the bag over his shoulder. All is well, and thus far, no one has outright said anything, even though a few have given them questioning or disgusted looks.

Then, as fluidly as his shaking nerves will allow, Kurt closes his locker, walks with Dave to class, and before they part, he lifts himself up on his toes to give Dave a smooch on the cheek. "See you after class."

Dave looks pleasantly surprised, but overly cheerful when he smiles and replies, "Yeah, see you."

And it's official: Kurt is Out. His closet door is shut behind him, locking him out from the inside because he is no longer welcome to hide there.

Because at least twenty people saw that kiss, and at least fifteen of them whip out their phones afterward, and none-too-discreetly, they all text someone they know (or multiple someones?) and tell them, 'Whoa! Guess who's actually gay? Kurt Hummel! Shock! Guess all the hot ones really are taken or queer, huh?'


	27. 12: Act

_12. Act._

Everyone in McKinley acts like they don't see the open homosexuality going on. Not Santana and Brittany (Santana being inspired by Kurt to come Out herself, proclaiming in her bitchy tone that she loves Brittany and anyone who says a thing against it she will cut them with the razors stashed in her hair), and not Kurt and Dave.

The students turn a blind eye. They make jokes to one another, but never aloud where either of the four can hear it, and one or two freshman or sophomores join the four and act like they aren't scared shitless or are intimidated by their fellow students, and they act as though the four are long-lost friends, or even a bit like heroes.

It's all an act, it's true; and yet, the act is freeing and not restricting in the least, because it opens up most people's eyes, and it heals pains in others.

Kurt joins Glee Club, and at that point, not much else matters. Screw the homophobes, because there are actually more indifferent students than there are hurtful ones. Now that the prank on Dave during last year's Prom has come and gone, everyone has seen how much happier someone like Dave can be despite how they tried to bring him down.

And they respect that. And unlike other things, one can't fake true respect and turn that into an act.


	28. 13: Keep ::purposely mirrors Mine::

_13. Keep. _

"I'm so proud of you, Kurt. Things are so much better now that I can touch you more in public without worrying about Outing you. And I'm so happy for you, knowing that you're content with the way things are. And it'll only get even better, because I want to go to college with you. I want to keep helping you, and I just want to _keep _you in general."

Kurt smirks at Dave's words as he pins the other boy to the bed and feels Dave's hands tremble with excitement while Kurt continues to place scattered kisses along Dave's torso, the taller boy's shirt folded neatly on Dave's desk chair, and Kurt's own shirt tossed onto the floor.

Kurt suckles particularly on a weak spot Dave has above his hipbone, and hear the responding sigh of bliss. "You talk too much, David. So shut up and let me love you down."

"Okay," Dave whispers, whimpering a little at the end when Kurt runs his hands up Dave's chest and brushes his thumbs over his nipples. He then flattens himself against Dave, chest to chest, and rolls them onto their sides where he can grip Dave's head in back by the hair and kiss him deeply and fiercely, practically eating his face from the mouth and outward.

"I'm glad you decided that, though," Kurt breathes against Dave's skin as his hands reach down and grasp Dave's ass, making him croon and instinctively buck forward. A jolt of thrill runs through the tiny jock, and he leans forward and nips and licks at Dave's earlobe. "Because I want to keep you, too. And how about I start tonight, by laying a little claim to you? Only if you want me to, of course."

David nods pathetically quickly, because even though he's aware of Kurt's implications of taking his virginity, Dave doesn't mind, because Kurt is _Kurt_. The fashionista trusts him, loves him, and they're nearly done with school by now, so they've been dating for just about a year, and they're eighteen, and _really_, by _this _point, most of Dave's fears have vanished. Because he just wants Kurt,_ all_ of Kurt, and nothing really can stop him from getting it.


	29. 14: Falter

**A/N: Almost done! I must say, I did NOT expect there to be nearly as many reviews for this as there are, and I'm sure, by tomorrow, there will be about a hundred, which is phenomenal! So thank you, everybody; thank you all SO incredibly much for sticking with this wacky ride! There is just one more left to go. ;D**

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><p><em>14. Falter.<em>

On graduation night, everyone is in red gowns and caps, everyone is dressed up and glowing with anticipation and excitement, and some girls cry with relief and joy and sorrow of leaving their friends and the school, and through it all, couples tell one another things, or choose to break up, or groups of friends either promise to stay in contact or lie and say they will but never plan to. And there is a lot of hugging involved, and a lot of goodbyes and congratulations.

Teachers, students, and anyone else who touches the hearts of someone else comes and go as they please before the ceremony, saying words of encouragement or farewell, and it's all a torrent of high emotions like a roller coaster with nothing but higher and higher hills to climb and twists and loops to complete.

Kurt falters when it comes time to go through with the actual ceremony. He's separated from Dave – they are a 'K' and an 'H,' which isn't too far, but it's far enough that they can't speak to one another – and he feels lost in the sea of identical red outfits of varying heights. He takes the steps, the seats, and the paces it takes to go through with it all, and by the end, people are whipping out Silly String from under their robes to spray across the crowd of graduated students and cheering family members.

Dave had faltered, too, when it came time for he and Rachel Berry to give their Valedictorian speeches in the near-beginning, before the names were called for the diplomas to be handed out. Still, despite his hesitation, Dave's speech had been heartwarming and sentimental and tear-inducing, and it moves Kurt in ways he will never be able to express openly.

In the end, the night was a blast of fresh air, marking the ending of so much, as well as the beginning of that much more.


	30. 15: Dream

_15. Dream._

Kurt Hummel, soprano for New Directions and self-proclaimed fashionable clothing extraordinaire, bolts upright in his hotel bed in New York City on the final night of Nationals before the Glee Club's return trip to Lima, Ohio.

He shakes his head, his body in a chilling sweat, and tosses off his covers. His silky pajamas feel unusually heavy as he stumbles out of the stiff bed, his roommate, Rachel, sleeping peacefully on her side, a pillow hugged to her slim body, in the bed across from him.

Kurt wanders into the bathroom, shoving his and Rachel's toiletries aside to splash water messily on his face and rid himself of some of the sweat on his neck and chest around the V-necked shirt-collar.

The singer has always had the strangest dreams whenever he's slept outside of his own bed; whether it be in a hotel like this, far away from home in general, the first night of his new house, or at a friend's or family member's home, Kurt has just never slept right or dreamed of anything remotely normal.

But this particular dream… the way it flowed into his subconscious, and shifted from scene to scene, and made so much sense, and was in reverse and yet so _clear… _it's messing with his head.

He's dating Blaine right now, but in his dream, he didn't trust Blaine. He only recently is on okay terms with Karofsky, but in this dream, he loved him. _Made love _to him, for crying out loud. And… and they were swapped, and it was strange and unnerving, but it was telling Kurt something. The dream was trying to communicate with him, trying to reach out and shake him to his very core by _screaming _some sort of message to him –

Except, the problem is, Kurt isn't entirely sure what that message could possibly mean. He only knows that this dream has left him breathless and doubtful and shivering with an unexplainably pleasant feeling every time he think of Dave, and _smiling _every time he pictures how Dave looked in one of Kurt's flamboyant outfits that Dave normally wouldn't be caught dead in.

Dabbing his skin dry with a towel, Kurt slinks back into his bed and curls up to get warm again, despite the humidity of the night outside. He hears Rachel turn over onto her back, a small, adorable grunt escaping her lips. He could totally see her being a valedictorian next year. And as for Dave Karofsky… Kurt will figure out what to do about him as soon as ND is back in Lima.

It's just… too complicated to think about at four o'clock in the morning after a dream that felt like it lasted forever.

_00. Finite._

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><p><strong>AN: ...Hope I didn't mindfuck you too much! I'm just such a troll, as bad as Ryan Murphy himself at times. So sorry, but I thought it would make a good ending, and help explain away some of the random AU-ness, haha~ :'D**

**Please review!**_ I love you all.  
><em>


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